KARACHI, Aug 6: Dissident leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-QA), Ejazul Haq, claimed on Tuesday that all the factions of the PML would get united under one banner by August 17 of this month.

“All homework has been completed and a joint strategy has been agreed upon in meetings with the leaders of these factions for the larger national interest,” he told newsmen in Karachi on Tuesday.

Some other PML-QA Sindh leaders were also present on the occasion. He said that the reunion of all the PML’s to contest elections from one platform was inevitable for the prosperity of the country.

“I am ready to work as an ordinary worker in the proposed united Muslim League” he said.

Afterwards, he stated, they would approach other ideologically close political parties to form an alliance of the like-minded groups for the coming elections.

“In this regard I have also met with chairman PML-Functional Mir Pagaro in Karachi and exchanged views pertaining to the coalition of the PMLs and the prevailing political situation of the country”, he said.

Expressing full confidence in Pir Pagaro he said whatever decision he took would hopefully be in the national interest. When asked about the exiled politicians aspiring to come back and contest elections, he said he would welcome all such politicians but advised those who not intending to return not to “lay hurdles in the process of democracy by making hollow claims.”

He lauded the decision of the present government regarding intra-party elections for contesting the upcoming general elections. He criticized former governments who, he said, represented only 3% of the country’s whole population, saying they had never allowed the masses to share power, neither did they provide justice to the common man. He said that a civilian dictator was more harmful than an army general.

He claimed that political leaders including PML Junejo chief Hamid Nasir Chatta, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Istaqlal, # Qaisar Ahmed Shaikh, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and others had assured him of their support on the eve of party elections.

He termed intra-party elections in the PML-QA a fake exercise and said names of the leaders who had died or had quit the party including Ghous Ali Shah of the PML-N and Ismail Raho were also enlisted in the voters list.—PPI